


feel the ocean as it breathes

by bereft_of_frogs



Series: let the human in (whumptober 2020) [15]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Post-Canon, Recovery, Time Travel Fix-It, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27339907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bereft_of_frogs/pseuds/bereft_of_frogs
Summary: After the Avengers save the universe, Thor can't help but go back and save just one more thing.[Follow-up to the first scene ofthings that didn't happen in endgame.]
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Series: let the human in (whumptober 2020) [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993756
Comments: 11
Kudos: 115
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	feel the ocean as it breathes

**Author's Note:**

> written for whumptober 2020, day 29: I Think I Need a Doctor (intubation) 
> 
> fic title: 'Empire', Of Monsters and Men
> 
> very short follow up to [another very short piece](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19045123) I wrote before seeing Endgame last year.

When Loki calms enough to be moved, they cradle his neck in a stiff collar. Valkyrie takes his arms, Thor his legs, and they carefully lift him onto one of the benches and arrange the tubes around him. Thor covers him to the waist with a blanket.

“I’ll get us back to Earth. Let me know when you’re reading to jump to the future. You just get some rest, your highness.” Valkyrie pats Loki’s hand and heads to the cockpit. Thor sits beside his brother. Once his hand is in range, Loki grabs it, squeezing tight.

“It’s all right,” Thor murmurs. “It’s all right, you’re all right now. I’ll take care of you.” Tears are brimming in Loki’s eyes again. “Shh. Are you in pain?” Loki nods, then his face twists in pain. “That is probably a bad idea. Don’t move so much, how about…squeeze my hand. Once for yes, twice for no. Okay?” Loki squeezes his hand once. “Good.”

Loki points to the tube in his mouth with one long finger, then sweeps it away. The question is evident.

Thor shakes his head. “Not until we return to Earth. Your…your throat was…it was…damaged. We can’t take it out until we’re sure you can breathe on your own.” Loki frowns around the tube, but squeezes his hand once. “Does it hurt?” Loki squeezes twice. “Uncomfortable?” Once. “I’m sorry, brother. It won’t be long.” Next Loki points to his eye. “See…something? You want to see-” Loki shakes his head and lets out a thin whine of pain. He settles after a moment. He taps Thor’s knee, points to his own eye, then back to Thor’s face. “Oh! Yes, I got a new eye. False, of course. And brown. Doesn’t match, but works just fine.” Loki’s eyes are watering again. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Loki just squeezes his hand tight and doesn’t let up. Thor can feel him starting to tremble.

Thor leans forward and strokes back his hair. “He’s dead. It’s over.” The tears spill over, running down. Loki’s breath hitches, fighting the forced rhythm of the machine. “Shh, it’s all right. Stay calm. I can give you something, to help keep you calm-”

Loki shakes his head rapidly and then freezes, seizing once in pain.

“All right,” Thor agrees. “For now.” He keeps a firm grip on Loki’s hand, keeps up his steady stroking of his head until he settles down for a bit.

“We’re going to jump,” the Valkyrie calls back from the cockpit. “Get ready.”

Thor holds his breath as they jump forward in time. He holds the tiniest fear in his heart that this was all too good to be true. It was too easy. He barely wants to even think it. But he fears that either the strain of the jump in time will be too much or going forward in time will somehow push Loki back, that he will stop breathing, the coldness and pallor of death returning to his body, and the ice will reform on his skin. Thor desperately fears that fate could not possibly be so kind to him. Not after everything else.

“Ready,” the Valkyrie calls back. “…3…2…1…”

They’re pulled forward in time, through the green light of the Stone, and Thor bows over Loki’s chest, squeezing his hand tight.

When the light fades, Thor lifts his head, holding his breath until he sees Loki’s chest move up and down and feels his hand clutching back at his tightly. He hadn't even dared to hope, so certain that this small victory would be torn from him. But it wasn't. His brother breathes, and clutches his hand, and Thor begins to accept that they've won.

_Months later._

“Were you expecting this to be some sort of funeral?” There is still a slight rasp to Loki’s voice. His words are almost drowned out by the sound of the waves against the rocks. He still speaks in little more than a whisper, like to speak louder would pain him, but when he turns away from the shore to look back at Thor, his eyes are clear and a smile is on his lips.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Thor says. “I just thought you might like a little break from everything.”

“And you could use one as well, I assume.”

“Well.” The aftermath of Thanos’s final defeat has not been easy to deal with. Particularly when it turned out that there had been quite a few political conflicts that had to be solved now that the existential threat had been eliminated.

Luckily at least, no one seems to care too much about Loki. His presence has gone largely unnoticed in the chaos, and even those who have noticed, seem to have taken his death - his near death, as punishment enough.

Thor takes a deep breath of the sea air. “Who did you think I meant the funeral for? Father?”

Loki shrugs. “We’ve much to mourn.”

“Yes.” _It could have been more_ , the warning voice whispers in his head. _You could have mourned everything_. Thor steps level with his brother. He puts his hand on his back. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says quietly. The corners of Loki’s mouth twitch, but he says nothing more. He doesn’t have to.

They stay standing on the cliffside, watching the light dance on the water and feeling the wind on their faces.

The sun is bright.

**Author's Note:**

> That's it for whumptober 2020! (Though I do have a couple that I never finish that will theoretically be getting repurposed...) There really wasn't any plot to this fic, but the day 29 prompt was 'intubation' and I've had that first scene written for like...I think over a year now, and never really found anywhere to go with it. I figured I would at least give it a sort of structure and post it so it wouldn't just languish in my drafts. This is honestly pretty fluffy for me. I'm surprised at myself. XD
> 
> Thanks for following along this month! You all probably already know this, but if you'd like to follow me elsewhere I'm [on tumblr @bereft-of-frogs](https://bereft-of-frogs.tumblr.com/). As always, kudos/comments/shares/frogs appreciated! (I'll be going through and responding to as much of the backlog as I can tomorrow.)


End file.
